“More than four hundred men are at work making the journey south as laborious as possible. They are mapping out the entirety of the northern forests and setting up one sided embattlements. If need be, they can be retaken from this side with ease. Horses will be virtually useless and traps are being placed wherever infantry might try moving through. The goal is not to kill, but to cause enough injury to force them to slow their advance until they can be sure that there are no traps in waiting. The rest of the men are busy with the restoration here. We should have five weeks at the least by my estimates”
“Very well. Is there anything that I can do to help? Perhaps the workmen could use an assistant?” Balinor scowled again. Even if he could have thought of something, he refused to allow the Princess to dirty her hands with menial labor.
“We would all be more at ease if you were in the Sea Fort and surrounded by your guards.”
“Did you know that one of my guard’s father was a stone sculpture? He died when one of his carvings fell on him after he refused to make a statue for Reigns. Quite tragic really.” Em’risi smiled broadly at Balinor before glancing at the sky behind him.
“What bearing does that have on this conversation?” Balinor inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“He is quite brilliant when it comes to dealing with stone so I put him in charge of the Sea Fort masonry repairs.” Balinor narrowed his eyes. There had been a somewhat skilled workman overseeing those repairs already. Balinor was sure that Em’risi had been more than persuasive when it came to replacing the man and more than likely, he had thanked her for the extra help.
“There were still three more men assigned to protect you.”
“Indeed. Two are probably still standing guard at my door and the third helped me out my window.” Balinor’s narrowed eyes broke into a full scowl.
“I ordered them not to leave your side!”
“And yet, I am their Princess. You would do well to remember that.” Balinor found his annoyance frustrated by Em’risi’s charming smile and piercing those purple eyes.
“At least tell me what you did with your last bodyguard? Please don’t tell me that you managed to find a way of losing him also. Might he be mending fishing nets?”
“No, he has proven quite adept remaining close at hand. Remarkably, he has been no more than a few paces distant all afternoon.” Em’risi motioned towards the top of the building behind Balinor. He found the sun and didn’t see anything until he shaded his eyes and saw the figure silhouetted at the edge of the roof. A bow was in hand and a sword at his side in preparation for any eventuality.
“It is good to see that you didn’t entirely forsake your senses, but it would still be better if you were to return to the Sea Fort. There could be assassins about that mean you harm.”
“True, there might be people out here that might mean me harm, but what kind of ruler would I be if I were afraid of my own subjects?” Em’risi looked at Balinor with an arched eyebrow.
“I suspect that you intend to tell me, my queen.”
“Tyrants are afraid of their subjects. Reigns wants power for the security that he thinks it will grant him. He likes to see people terrified of him because he is afraid of what they might do if they stop fearing him. I will never rule my people with fear nor will I hide from them and this is the last that will be said on the matter.” Between knowing the outcome of previous discussion and with the tone that Em’risi used, Balinor did not doubt her.
“Very well my queen. As you wish.” Balinor made an elaborate bow that Em’risi took pains to ignore. She was about to make a comment when a shout went up among the workers on the wall. It only took Em’risi and Balinor a minute to reach the top of the wall with the aid of a nearby stairway. From the added vantage point, they were able to see a small group of horsemen approaching. The most notable thing was the large white flag that the lead horseman carried. Balinor shouted some orders and the band of horsemen were halted before crossing the bridge. A couple minutes later, a messenger appeared on the wall and explained that the